A day out at the track

Wednesday, 03 March 2010 18:09

If you’ve read my column you know I like to watch motorsport and write about it, but what you may not know is that I also participate in it.

A good friend of mine, Rob Brown, has a drag racing team and I’m part of the crew. This Team is called Humpy Racing. Why Humpy Racing you ask? Well the car is a 1948 Holden FX. I’m told that these Holdens were referred to as ‘Humpies’ because of their shape, hence the name Humpy Racing. In spite of its size and weight (which is a little over a tonne) with its methanol fuelled 383 Chevrolet small-block engine it can complete the quarter mile in less than ten seconds, with a current PB elapsed time (ET) of 9.22 seconds. The Team is currently predominantly racing in the Australian Nostalgia Drag Racing series, which is a series for pre-1972 cars held at tracks across the country.

For something a bit different I thought I’d keep a diary out at the track and write a column on it for those interested in finding out about what a typical race day involves. The race in question was a one day Nostalgia Drag Racing event held at Willowbank Raceway. I’ve included quite a bit of detail and have split it into two parts so you may want to get a coffee and make sure you’re sitting in a comfy chair before you continue reading!

A day out at the track – Part 2

Before racing could begin it was time for a feature unique to nostalgia drag racing, the cruise. The cruise gives those who bring their cars out for the show n’ shine the chance to drive their piece of nostalgia in front of the crowd and up the track. It may not be as exciting as the racing but it’s popular with the spectators and amazing to see the big line of cars on the track.

The cruise had already started by the time we got around to the start line in the Kombi. We joined the procession and headed down the return road in front of the crowd before making our way out onto the bottom end of the track head up it (in the opposite direction to the racers). You could hear the sound of the tyres sticking to the grippy surface as we drove along. I got a few shots but put the camera away to wave at, give thumbs up to and even reach out and hi-five the enthusiastic kids in the crowd as we passed by.

After the cruise we didn’t have long to wait before our first round of racing. The parachute was repacked and the guys took the front of the FX and refuelled it with methanol before putting the front back on. That only left enough time for a crew photo and cold drink before we had to tow the car up to the staging lanes.

By 5pm we had parked at the back of the lanes and it was another 45 minutes until we made it to the front. The conditions had begun to cool a little but the sun was still bearing down on the track as Rob did his burnout and crept into stage for the first race. Then the Christmas tree lit up and the FX was off. It was another impressive reaction time and strong launch and Rob cruised to an easy victory over the Corvette in the other lane, running a 9.37 on his 9.29 dial in. Dan and I rushed back to join Peter in the Kombi to so we could head down to tow the car back. We were very happy about our first round victory and Rob looked pleased too when we got down to the bottom end of the track.

We had a bit of a break before our next run so the BBQ was fired up for dinner and we sat in the grandstand to watch some of the racing before being called back to the lanes just after 7pm. I filmed rather than photographed this run.

It was another quick reaction and we took the win with a 9.36 on our 9.29 dial-in. After the run Dan, Paul and I sprinted back to the Kombi for that all too familiar trip down to the bottom end of the track.

More delays meant it was not surprising to see the lanes a little emptier by the time the third Gas round was held just before 11pm. No doubt a few of those who hadn’t won both of their first two rounds had elected to pack up and head home a little earlier.

After staging the win light came on in our lane almost immediately with the car in the other lane having red lit (i.e. they started their run before the green light had been illuminated on their side of the Christmas tree). Rob still put in a strong performance for the win with an ET of 9.42.

Three wins from three races was a very exciting prospect for the Team, though we dared not think that it would mean we were in our first final. However when we got back to the pits it seemed like this would indeed be the case as we were informed that it had been announced that we were required for the final. Now we did allow ourselves to get a little excited. Rob didn’t take off his race suit and we didn’t even take the car off the tow line. Instead the parachute was repacked and we headed back up to the lanes. As we headed up there spots of rain began to dot the window, which is never a good sign when it comes to drag racing.

When we came to a stop in the lanes I could see two other gas cars already waiting, which seemed strange. We soon realised why when a crew member from one of the other cars informed us that upon closer inspection of the times there had been another car who had also won all three rounds and was marginally closer to their dial-in in the last round.

We turned around and headed back to the pits. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t a little disappointed, but we were very proud of our three round wins. The rain continued to fall as we began to pack up. The racing had stopped because of it and shortly after the event was called, so no final was run. We had time for a cold drink, a couple of my homemade brownies and a bit of reflection before we headed home. It was 1am when we got there, tired but happy after such a long day.

I hope you enjoyed this track diary. If you’re interested in seeing my photos from the day check out album two on the Humpy Racing Facebook page www.facebook.com/humpyracing and become a fan if you’d like to stay up to date with the Team’s progress. by Chelsea Woods http://www.girlracer.co.uk